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JacusJoe-9038 avatar image
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JacusJoe-9038 asked JacusJoe-9038 commented

Regarding support for IWebBrowser2

Hi there!

I am making use of the IWebBrowser2 interface (from exdisp.h) to implement some WebUI in C++ for online browsing.
Since it appears to primarily use the latest Internet Explorer, I am concerned about what happens once IE loses support in late-2021.

I as a consumer don't see a way to select the browser app from within the code, as say, Edge.

Will this library and interface continue to be supported post IE-decommission?

c++ms-edge
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RLWA32-6355 avatar image
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RLWA32-6355 answered JacusJoe-9038 commented

I think this is the announcement regarding IE 11's retirement in 2021 -
microsoft-365-apps-say-farewell-to-internet-explorer-11.

Note the footnote at the bottom of the announcement which affirms that IE 11 itself is a windows component and is supported based on the lifecycle policy for the Windows version in which it is installed.


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Thanks for the response!

The article is a little hazy on what happens to IE, but from MS's clarifications in the comment section, here is what I understand about the various browsers:

  • InternetExplorer, though not "supported" will continue to exist on the OS and apps designed to use it will continue to work fine. "IE is not going anywhere"

  • IE will not be an option on MS 365 Team websites.

  • Edge Legacy will be removed but apps will continue working (apps written in Webview, not Webview2) as long as it is present.

  • Edge With Chromium will be pushed out as the new standard for browsing and Apps are encouraged to move to WebView2, although not mandated.






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InternetExplorer, though not "supported"

To clarify, the articIe says-

Today, we’re announcing that Microsoft 365 apps and services will no longer support Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11) by this time next year.


 Beginning November 30, 2020, the Microsoft Teams web app will no longer support IE 11.
 Beginning August 17, 2021, the remaining Microsoft 365 apps and services will no longer support IE 11.


Otherwise, IE remains a supported Windows component.

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Thank you.
That is the clarity I needed.

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Deepak-MSFT avatar image
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Deepak-MSFT answered JacusJoe-9038 commented

@JacusJoe-9038,
I search but did not get any official document that mentions that whether IWebBrowser2 will continue to work after the IE browser gets retired.

In case it stops working or you want to upgrade from IWebBrowser2, you can try to check the WebView2.

The Microsoft Edge WebView2 control enables you to embed web technologies (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) in your native applications. The WebView2 control uses Microsoft Edge (Chromium) as the rendering engine to display the web content in native applications. With WebView2, you may embed web code in different parts of your native application, or build the entire native application within a single WebView. For information on how to start building a WebView2 application.

To get more information about WebView2, you can refer to Getting started with WebView2



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Thanks Deepak,
We are aware of this recent library, but have some concerns with backward compatibility for users who may not have the "new" Edge built on Chromium.
From doing a quick check, it seemed like Webview2 does not work with older browsers.
[Please correct me if there is indeed a way to launch older browsers with Webview2]
Wish you a good day!

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